


It Was Always You

by ItsProbablyLynn



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Basiclly Rhys can't use his Siren powers or it hurts like hell, Binded Powers, Eventual Smut, F/F, Good Dad Jack, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Its so fluffy it hurts, M/M, Motherfucking plot twists out the ass, Multi, Original Character(s), Pre-Relationship, Siren Rhys, Slow Build, Small children too good too pure, Smut happened and im not sure why, gaigel, rhack - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2018-07-16 22:29:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7287235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsProbablyLynn/pseuds/ItsProbablyLynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As fate would have it, Rhys chases after a fake Vault Key and ends up back in his childhood best friend's, Angel, arms on the untame planet of Pandora. But hey, at least her dad's there to help aid in his impossible adventure. Right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Promise

**Author's Note:**

> My gross au where Rhys and Angel are childhood friends and he ends up falling in love with her hot Dilf. God I should leave.

Was what he did smart? No. Was it by any means his fault? No, at least not entirely. It wasn't the 'plan' per say to end up having his arm crushed under a large crate absolutely filled to the brim with Loader Bots but it was in the plan to jump from one platform to the other to see who was bravest. And god damnit if he was going to stop a pair of nine year olds from punching his fragile twelve year old ego, he was going to do it god damnit. Of course all things considered he probably should have let this one go but with the tiny duo already on the other side teasing him just fueled him on. 

Then the cables snapped and it all went to shit. 

So now here he was, Rhys Varent the twelve year old with a missing arm and wicked tattoos, knocked out cold in a hospital room while his two tiny best friends sat close by waiting for their parents to show up. Angel had maybe used a certain something to bring them all here as quickly as possible but even then the doctors refused to properly treat Rhys until a legal guardian arrived, which ment Angel accidentally phaseshifting Rhys's arm off was actually a good thing otherwise there would be a lot more blood than needed. 

While waiting for the Ptsa leaders to storm into the room, Angel kept making mini phaseshifts as a way to entertain herself and then there was Vaughn who was swearing on his grave that the horrible foursome of Heilos was going to kill them all without question. 

As the wondrous pair awaited their demise, Rhys's eyes opened ever so slightly to stare at the two younger ones. Just as he was about to ask how they got to the hospital so fast, the door exploded open with a clearly angry mother. 

"Rhys William Varent! What in name of Pandora were you thinking!?"

Rhys's small mother, Maxine, wrapped him into a full breasted hug while his father, Lukus, made his way to his right side to see what exactly had happened. In the back of the room Angel was snatched up in a shower of kisses and restricting hugs as her father, John, held her way to tightly.

"Dad, stop it! My friends are here!"

"Nope." John snapped back popping the p. "I almost lost you today and that's not something I wanna think about."

Vaughn's social worker, Echo, held him in hug while he sobbed about not being able to help Rhys and taunting him to jump across. Rhys, whom was being firmly enveloped in hugs and soft touches by both of his parents, watched as his father left to converse with one the doctors about treatment. A disappointed look appeared across his face as he flipped through the heap of papers the doctor had handed him.

"We can't afford this."

"It's the only choice."

"For fifty grand?! He's a child!" 

"He'll need readjustments later in life so it's better to put it down now."

"We don't have this type of money! We can't possibly pay some fancy doctor just for the installation fee!"

Rhys could feel the dread pooling in his mother's chest as she crowded him closer to her. Please don't say loan, please don't say-

"W-we'll just take out a loan." Damnit all to hell.

"Or maybe not."

Echo shifted Vaughn in her arms to lift up her cybernetic arm while gesturing to John. John's eyes widened as he buried his face into Angel's shoulder. "I can't." He murmured while holding Angel closer. "Not without Vivian's help." Echo rolled her mismatched eyes as she kicked out her cybernetic leg and tapped her ECHOdrive that linked with her dark green ECHOeye. "Vivian helped you with these when we were thirteen, you barely had any help when you replaced my arm. So what exactly is the big problem?" John pulled away from Angel to scan the damage done to Ryhs, screwing his eyes shut he mumbled into Angel's hair.

Echo sighed deeply while holding the bridge of her nose. "It's because he's a child, isn't it?" John nodded his head as he nuzzled into Angel's hair deeper. "I could get him hurt or worse without help." Echo set Vaughn down in his chair as she began to stroll over to John's side, placing her tattooed hand on his shoulder. Letting out a tired sigh, Echo lifted John's head away from Angel's hair. "I'll help you, besides, did you really think I would let you do this alone?" John leaned into Echo's hand, letting her stroke his cheekbone. 

"Okay, I'll do it."

~

After the six hour operation, Rhys was outfitted with a brand new arm made out of an old Loader Bot's metal body. Letting the pain medication lull throughout his system proved to be the best option rather than to force himself awake to talk to the group of people that surrounded him. Angel had claimed her seat right next to Rhys long before he was laid into his bed, mainly since she almost got a fellow Siren killed even if his powers were binded to the seal placed on his neck. Carding her small fingers through his hair, Angel whispered out a promise. One only she could keep. "I swear, on my life that I will make this up to you everyday we are alive."

Even if Angel felt she wouldn't always be there for Rhys, she would try her damndest to do everything and anything to protect him. Lightly tracing Rhys's seal, Angel started nodding off as Vaughn huddled close to her in a sort of protective manner. While in the other room the fabulous four talked about the one thing they all wanted to find, a vault.


	2. A Long While

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vault Keys are hard to find and even harder to use, but to Rhys and Vaughn it seemed like the perfect way to be set for life. If it wasn't, y'know, fake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for giving me kudos on the first chapter, it wasn't my longest piece but hey, it was liked. Anyways off to Pandora!

"Son of a bitch!" Were the very first words that left Rhys's mouth after leaving the fake deal, Vaguhn slugging behind him. "We should have know it wasn't real if I couldn't sense anything from it! Ugh, damn this stupid seal!" Rhys kicked an old barrel off to the side while still fuming over the whole situation with a shit ton of hate directed at Elips. 

"You see this mom!? I fucked up because of this damn seal! Now Vaughn and I are probably going to die! See you in hell!" Throwing himself down to the ground, Rhys raised his middle fingers to the sky as Vaughn took a seat next to him while more profanity left his lips. Letting the disabled Siren vent off to nothing the Money Man played with the handcuff chain with little interest to much else. He couldn't blame Rhys for being pissed about the seal that was inked into his neck, sure it protected him from pointless bullshit like Vault Hunting or being hunted by Vault Hunters, but it was still a looming reminder of the reason it was there in the first place. Vaughn couldn't fully remember why but it delt with Rhys having a sister that was taken because she was a Siren and the people who took her calling themselves The Order. When Rhys was first told this, which was the same time he got the seal, he was confused as to why Sirens were so special. Back then when his mom and dad were around, he was shielded from the thoughts of Vaults until after his dad died and his mom hightailed it to Elips without him. 

"Hey, Rhys? You can still sense other Sirens, right?" Rhys opened one of his mismatched eyes with little effort as he laid his hand across his forehead. "Yeah, why?" 

"Well," Vaughn began as Rhys lifted himself to sit on his knees,"From what I've heard there's a pair of Sirens that live in Sanctuary. Maybe one of them knows how to unbind you." Rhys scoffed as he pushed himself up and away from the ground, and let out an amused snort. "Oh yeah let's just waltz into the one place on Pandora that hates Hyperion the most and ask Vault Hunting Sirens if they'll unbind a Hyperion Siren with zero reasons other than finding Vault Keys! We would be shot the moment my arm crossed out the Fast Travel!" Grasping the bridge of his nose, Rhys let out a tired sigh as he offered Vaughn his cybernetic hand and dragging his flesh hand across his seal. "We could try to find Ec-" Rhys shot a glare down at Vaughn. "We are not asking the CFO of Hyperion to unbind me, she's the reason I'm like this in the first place." It was very true that Echo had betrayed their trust several years back after she refused to let Rhys see his fathers body when he was killed in an 'accident', Rhys had always called bullshit when it came to the older Siren after that. 

After a long while of bickering, the pair decided to say fuck it and flip a coin to decide where they would go. Heads for Sanctuary, tails for Hyperion's AI core. Rhys fished out a faux gold coin from his pocket with Handsome Jack's head on one side and a set of angel wings on the other. "Pff, fanboy." Vaughn snorted out as Rhys smacked his arm. "They give all the 'code monkey's' one, so it's Hyperion issued." Another sharp snort erupted from Vaughn's throat causing the coin to flip in an odd way and promptly landed in a small pool of half dried blood. "Son of a taint Vaughan! Stop it!" Rhys punched Vaughn in the arm with his cybernetic hand which lead him to yelp loudly in pain. Pushing away his friends pain, Rhys squatted down to inspect the blodd covered coin, the angel wings shining up at him with only a few specks of blood on it's side. 

"Welp let's pay the AI a visit."

~

A Fast Travel trip and a few miles later the duo was at the AI core's broken-to-all-hell entrance, sure they had heard that a group of Vault Hunters had committed an assault on the core but this was just completely fucked. A buzz ax here, a destroyed turret there. Rhys felt a strong surge of electricity jolt through him as he marveled at the top of the mountain, he knew that feeling. It was almost like a mild adrenaline rush but it died down a lot faster than an actual one. "Siren." The word tumbled past Rhys's lips like a blissful secret that shouldn't be shared with anyone or anything but the person who held it. The jolt shot through his system once again and he felt his body move from a calm stand point to an afraid sprint. Distantly he could hear vaughn shouting after him but he couldn't stop, not now, not ever. Rhys could feel this Siren's distress, their pain, and their element. It was the Siren of Electricity and they were scared beyond belief. 

The surge of energy sent him flying up the mountain side while his chest ached deeply with the only parts of his mark that remained glowing a bright, neon, green. Rhys's body was crying out to him as he reached the top of the mountain with absolutely no breath left in his lungs but no matter what his body or mind said his Siren instincts ruled over both as he drove himself up the small flight of stairs. As Rhys flew up another flight of stairs, his vision began blurring over with the same green energy his marks were already emitting. Coming to a screeching halt, his left hand swung forward as an extremely large burst of green energy left his body. The energy immediately started corroding all of the bots, and bandits that were assaulting the young Siren. Panting, Rhys tried to balance himself as the few bandits that were still alive began throwing themselves off the railing in an attempt to make the pain end. A sharp cry left Rhys's mouth as his body finally started coming off the energy high, which was proving to be even more painful as the seal started burning away the newly formed markings that already gave off a skin melting sensation. He clutched his flesh arm in agony, letting his knees give out fully as he dropped hard to the metal ground. 

A cool hand was placed against Rhys' flushed face as he let out hard, labored breaths that didn't seem to fill up his lungs fast enough. "Hey Angel!? Can a Siren be a guy!?" The cool hand in question belonged to a young woman with an unofficially done cybernetic arm that was currently pressed to Rhys's cheek. He closed his eyes as he leaned into the touch, chest still burning as the rest of his marks recoiled back into his skin. "Why in the hell do y-" Angel's eyes flickered over Rhys's form once she reached her girlfriend's side. "My god, Rhys." Angel's voice wavered slightly as she pressed her own tattooed hand to Rhys's left cheek. Rhys really couldn't hear anything as his body was still falling from a high that nearly killed him and probably still could. His lips parted slightly as he went to try and speak but was cut off by a fit of dry coughing that caused him to shake violently. "B-burning." He managed to push the one word past his lips as the metal hand jerked away. 

"Angel, what the fuck is wrong with his body?!" The wild woman gripped her metal hand as it lightly sizzled from the left over acid that was laced across Rhys's skin. Angel smacked her girlfriend's arm but still stared intently at Rhys's pained face."Gaige I need you to get the white jar out of my bag." Gaige quickly pulled open Angel's drawstring bag and retrieved the small jar that had 'Relaxer' written across the top in fancy letters. Angel took the jar from Gaige's hands and popped open the lid with a single finger. The contents of the jar smelled of minty gunpowder and had a gray tint to it, Angel dipped three fingers into the thick, clumpy mixture and scooped a generous amount onto her fingers. "Gaige, rip open his shirt." Without hesitation, Gaige tore open Rhys's blue striped button down and yanked away his vest. Angel then proceed to massage the mixture onto his only marking, her fingers worked down hard as the energy pulsing throughout his body began to disperse back into his body. A light sigh fell from Rhys's lips as his body finally restabilized to normal temperature. 

Angel let out a sigh of her own as she whipped away the last of the mixture onto her own tattooed chest. A shaky breath left her lungs as she lifted Rhys up into her arms to give him a hug. "Thank you, Rhys. My gods thank you." Angel nuzzled into Rhys's neck as she began to cry while holding his head to her chest. Rhys finally had enough strength to pull his arms around her before a sharp pain shot through his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woop woop another one down, and also since I want the time frame to be similar to Tftbl I'm putting Rhysie in a short power coma due his seal. So yeah probably gonna be done tomorrow I'm not entirely sure yet. Thank you for reading.


	3. A Family Reunion Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After waking from an 8 month long power coma, Rhys finally realizes that if he truly wants to be a full fledged badass Siren he'll have to turn to the only other Siren that could undo binding. But what he finds is some familiar faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to destroy four ships and you may or may not hate me for it. Also I chose Hindi as the Siren Dialect because I like how it looks/sounds for this.

Vaughn leaned his head back onto the old sofa, letting out a soft sigh as Angel pushed her fingers through his lengthy hair while she walked by into Rhys's room. It was killing him to not be able to help Rhys because it was completely Siren related, and newsflash, Vaughn was everything but a Siren. Sometimes within the last eight months, if they were lucky, Rhys would wake up in a dream like state, ramble off something in the language of Siren's and pass out again. Angel was rather horrible with understanding him as her father didn't let her fully learn the Siren dialect since he wanted to protect her 99.99℅ of the time from people like Gaige, but after a lengthy explanation and a fuck ton of convincing her father let her go to live her life. Of course he did end up planting mushrooms in the corner to which Angel told him to grab his gun, man the fuck up, and accept that she wasn't a little girl anymore. She hadn't seen him in almost a year (Thank Elelamenta) which also ment no awkwardly explaining that she found Rhys or more accurately Rhys found her by accident and was not trying to manipulate her in anyway. 

 

Angel lightly pushed open Rhys's bedroom door and was utterly surprised to see him sitting up, quietly chugging down a glass of water that was placed to his left night stand. Without a second thought, Angel dashed over to Rhys and enveloped him in a strong hug as he quickly sat the glass back down with a satisfying 'clink'. "Oh damn, how long was I out?" Rhys rubbed his metal hand against his eye as Angel stroked the back of her neck and settled herself on his bed. "Eight months, give or take a few days." A pane of guilt hit Rhys as he looked up and down the younger Siren. Her one visible blue eye had a dark sunken in bag underneath it, skin a tad bit paler than normal, and her normal swept over ponytail was slightly loose making her other green eye a tad bit visual. Angel had clearly been worrying to much if the sloppily made make shift bed that was played out on the near by sofa was anything to go by. "T-that's not mine if you're wondering, we didn't have an extra room for Vaughn so he set up camp in here with you. It's kinda funny actually, whenever you would start sleep talking he would write down what you were saying the best he could since you were only speaking Siren Dialect. I didn't even know you knew that much." Rhys's eyes scanned across Angel's freckled features as she brought her hand up to trace his seal, he was absolutely puzzled by her words. He hardly even knew how to say hello in the dialect, let alone enough to sleep talk it. "I what? Angel, I can't even say the Siren ABC's or whatever the hell it uses. Even if I could speak it, I've only ever heard Echo recite binding dialect." Angel, being equally curious, went over to the small sofa and grabbed the small writing tablet. She sat back down next to Rhys as she flipped to a random page to read off of. ".... की रक्षा के लिए , बचाने की रक्षा के लिए , और हटाने के लिए मैं तुमको बाध्य करने के लिए...." Rhys's neck itched slightly as he let his fingers dance across the seal, it slightly glowing under his touch. Angel flipped to another page, this one had a foot note from Vaughn that said 'He seemed agitated and gritted his teeth a ton'. "लिलिथ मैं तुम्हें भीख माँग रहा हूँ , मैक्सिन बता नहीं है जो माया है। हम पहले से ही शून्य को बनाए रखने के रूप में यह है के साथ काफी समस्याएं हैं......I know enough of the dialect to know we need to talk to Lilith." The corrosive Siren shook his head violently, placing his head into his hands with a deep sigh as Angel carded her fingers through his hair. Out of all the Siren's to go to for help, Lilith was on the bottom of the list and it wasn't because she didn't like to help, it was the way she helped that concerned most people. And even if Rhys called bullshit over Echo's claims he never denied what she said about Lilith since most of it was rather bitterly placed hatred after she killed John. "I don't trust her, she's a killer." Angel felt her eyes roll as she placed her chin on top of Rhys's head. "So is Gaige, and you trust her right?" Rhys had the foggy memory of the Mechromancer repairing his cybernetics and her quiet off hand comment of 'This shit is fucking amazing' after she flipped open his panel. If she repaired him without rigging him to explode, he could trust the younger Vault Hunter. "Yeah, but Lilith killed your dad, right?" 

 

The electric Siren passed her hand through her loose ponytail, letting the ribbon fall out and ruffling up her hair so that it fell across her head freely. "In a sense, yes, Lilith killed John but not my dad. You get it......right?" Rhys picked up the ribbon from his bed and proceeded to fix her Angel's ponytail while he shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Okay, promise not to freak out on me?" A simple nod was all she got as she rubbed the back of her neck. "It's.... Jack, Handsome Jack is my dad, John." Forgetting his previous head nod, Rhys let his jaw drop in awe and then proceed to scream into his hands as he attempted to turn away. "Son of a bitch, Vaughn you owe Gaige fifty dollars!" A groan and whooing could be heard in the large gathering room as Rhys finally managed to collect his thoughts. "S-so does have know we're h-here?" Angel shook her head no as she rose from his bed and walked over to the only dresser in the room. She threw a small sweater, loose tank top, old pair of blue jeans, a new pair of boxers, and the socks Rhys had worn to Pandora in all their weird starry glory to older Siren. "These used to belong to one of my dad's body doubles before he took off, nice guy that one and just your size. Now get get dressed lazy ass, we're going to see Lilith weather you like it or not." 

Making quick work to do so, Rhys dressed himself in the old clothing that had a name embroidered into the sweater which was the odd name of 'Jimothy'. He laced up the pair of old boots that Gaige had casually brought in while he was in nothing but boxers, but Gaige being Gaige waved it off and remarked 'I'm too gay to go straight for you' which was now on the long list of things Rhys wondered if Jack knew(That along with the fact that Rhys had a rather large crush on the elder man that had given him his metal arm). Standing up completely straight, Rhys started at himself intently in the full body mirror and god damn it did he look extremely different from his normal dick bag Hyperion look(Besides wearing an old Hyperion sweater). A light knock at the door pulled Rhys away from his own refection as Vaughn, whom looked equally different, pushed the door flap away. "Bro, I'm not sure how happy this is going to make you but I really did try." Vaughn lifted up an old dog tag chain that was slightly corroded from the incident that had transpired months prior. One of the two dog tag parts were eaten away to all hell by the left over acid that had covered Rhys's entire body, and sadly it wasn't his mothers. Half of his fathers name had been eaten away but luckily it was only the last name that got the worst of it. Rhys remembered the stories his mother and father would tell him about the 'Great Eden War', it was where the two met, his mother a squad leader from Hyperion and his father being an injured medic from Dahl before the two companies were at one another's throats. Echo, and Jack had mainly been the reason his father got to be with his mother as they pulled strings, and made transfers just so he could have a job at Hyperion after the war. They were maybe sixteen when they met, and had Rhys and his sister when they were eighteen but they had luckily been married by then. But this was all he had left of them, memories and half of their dog tags(The other half was already with his sister when she was kidnapped) and he had almost lost one of those to his fucked up Siren powers. 

 

Rhys slipped the old chain around his neck and let them freely drape over the sweater, now he looked like an ex-Hyperion worker. "This is fine bro, but we should probably get going before Angel leaves without us." 

~

Fast Travel was extremely helpful as they didn't need to walk as much because fuck exercise when you have technology. "It's to early to just go barging into HQ, let's go get fucking smashed!" Gaige yanked on Rhys's metal arm with her own as she directed the group towards Moxxi's bar which seemed to never close.It was a Sunday so there wasn't as many people in the bar at five in morning as there normally would be but there was a blue haired Siren that was lounging on a rather large psycho with bandages that covered one of his eyes. "Maya, Kreig, how are my main ho's?" Gaige pulled Rhys down next to her after Angel had settled in across from Kreige who gave a small grunt of happiness to seeing the young Siren. Maya leaned forward on her elbows, her unbuttoned purple plaid shirt sagging over her light blue tank top while an old chain hung around her neck. "We're fine Gaige. So Angel, this is Siren you were talking about? He seems new, like fresh off the bus new."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accidentally backed out of the writing tab and lost a shit ton of writing and I'm actually wanting to cry so I've decided to split this chapter into two parts and I'll post the next part soon hopefully. Fuck phones.


	4. Family Reunion Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finding his sister had always been one of Rhys's dreams, but learning of another's proved to be his worst nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm fucking trash for Hindi now, get ready for a long ass translation at the end because there's going to be a LOT of speaking in Hinidi aka the Siren Dialect.

Rhys's eyes flickered up to meet Maya's stare as she spoke with her words pointed at the disabled Siren. "I uh, I'm ex-Hyperion and so is Vaughn. So um where are you from?" Maya let her eyes wander down to the dog tags sitting around Rhys's neck, the non-fucked up one sitting on top. Something hit the Slag Siren deep in her feel box, as her normal stoic expression faltered into one of sadness but she pushed the feeling away as she promptly stood up. "Rhys, walk with me." The demand wavered slightly as the Corrosive Siren's name passed over Maya's lips, the younger already going for the front entrance. Rhys turned to give the two women beside him a questioning look to which Angel shrugged her shoulders and Gaige urged him to follow. Hesitantly, he rose from the old booth and followed Maya out the entryway, falling in quick time with her own boot steps.

The blue haired wonder pointed up to the roof tops, apparently wanting to walk across them for some reason, and pulled Rhys up a small pile of stuff to reach the first roof. It was oddly quiet for Sanctuary in the middle of what could be considered fall as it was normally lit up with many people that would trade with one another, but ever since Hyperion pulled out almost all of their men from Pandora people felt it was finally okay to go back to old trading places like Fyrestone and Overlook. Maya lead Rhys a great deal across the city roof tops with little effort, stopping once they were almost directly next to HQ and suggesting they sit down. "पहले से अपने प्रश्न के बारे में, मुझे यकीन है कि मैं जहां पैदा हुआ था नहीं हूँ। लेकिन मुझे लगता है कि आप मुझे बता सकता है।" Rhys's eyes lit up at the sound of the Dialect, mainly since he could understand what Maya was saying but couldn't at the same time. "मुझे समझ नहीं आता , मैं सूर्य देवता को हुआ था लेकिन मैं तुम्हारे बारे में पता नहीं है।" A small smile graced Maya's lips at the sound of the Dialect being spoken by a male Siren, it was sound most Sirens never got to hear as male Sirens were always prone to violence and would be killed early on by other Sirens so the sound was welcoming and beautifully new. Maya picked up her own chain, letting the dog tags on it lay in her hand as Rhys peeked at them slightly and felt the realization hit him like a bus. "रिज़ , कि वास्तव में मैं क्या मतलब है।" Tears made them selves present in Maya's eyes as well as Rhys's own mismatched ones. Although she wasn't opposed to the idea of touching but didn't like to, the small Slag Siren hugged her lanky brother with great force as she let the tears in her eyes flow out while she nuzzled into Rhys's sweater, the feeling of his own tears hitting her shoulder as he pulled her closer and genuine smiles were grossly on display. "ईडब्ल्यू , सकल । दो लगभग तीस वर्ष के बच्चों को सुबह छह बजे एक ही छत के शीर्ष पर किसी कारण के लिए रो रहे हैं।" The pair both looked behind them to glare at the red haired Siren who seemed, underneath her defensive exterior, to be slightly envois of the two. Lilith sat down next to Maya, which in turn made Rhys tighten his grip along his younger sister's waist. "हैलो, वह शैतान । मैं देख रहा हूँ कि आप अंततः जाग उठा , इस अवसर क्या है? फ्री शॉट्स ?" Rhys let out a chuckle at the nick name Maya had oh so nicely given the Firehawk, a damn fitting one if Rhys could help it. Lilith rolled her eyes, a horribly hidden smile playing at her features. "मैं यहाँ पर मिस्टर जंग समझ सकता है जब आप पर्याप्त करीब आ गया, फिर भी मैं मुश्किल से एन्जिल के साथ कुछ भी समझ सकता है और आप तो एक दूसरे और उसके करीब जा रहा है।" Speak of the devil and she doth appear, Angel phaseshifted next to Rhys as Lilith mentioned the youngest Siren. The Arch-Angel smiled at the entwined siblings, a knowing look hidden in her eyes. "मैं सिर्फ पता था कि तुम , उसकी बहन थे किसी प्रकार मुझे लगता है की एक सातवें ज्ञान की तरह । यही कारण है कि और अवशिष्ट ऊर्जा है कि आप दोनों पूरी तरह से समान है ।" Maya laughed slightly, her eyes finally finding Rhys's seal. A frown fell upon her features as she traced the outline of it with her tattooed hand. "कौन हो तुम यह किया है?" Rhys felt his face drop at the question, his heart strings being tugged on extremely hard at his sister's sadness. "हमारी माँ के आदेश पर एक मोहिनी , नरक की तरह दर्द होता है जब मैं अपनी शक्तियों का उपयोग करने के लिए प्रयास करें।" Lilith's own eyes found the seal, a sharp gasp leaving her lips. She quickly asked them to follow her back into HQ, a worried look plastered across the elder Siren's features. 

One in the inner most cot room, Lilith slammed the door shut and pulled the other three down the stairs. "Lilith, what in the name of Pandora is wrong?" The Fiery Siren shut Roland's old armory door, a hard click signaling that it had been locked, but she wasn't done yet as she pulled another door across it and let it slide shut, bolting them inside. "I haven't seen that Siren in several years, the only one of us that can create seals." Lilith turned around sharply, not letting anyone else speak. She passed her tattooed hand up her right side, a visible shiver shooting through her body. "That Siren gave me my seal when I...we betrayed Jack, she got me alone and I thought she just wanted to talk but she....she beat the hell out of me, and then put a......truth seal on me. She took away my ability to lie, to withhold a secret, to steal, and to just shut the fuck up." Rhys cleared his throat, meeting Lilith's broken stare. "But Echo wouldn't do something like that, she wouldn't hurt a fly." A dark feeling settled in the room as Lilith's voice dropped low and she let out a hard, heavy breath. "She could rip apart the Warrior in three seconds flat, that's the real type of person she is." Maya heard the sharpened worry in Lilith's words, a sound she had recently learned the true meaning of, and that being one of undying love, everlasting sadness, and unforgiving betrayal."But who is she to you?"

"My sister."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHIT EARLY PLOT TWIST OF HOW IN THE FUCK ARE THEY STILL ALIVE. Also I found out that Helios is the sun god and is son of the god Hyperion, WELP.  
> Translations:  
> 1.) About your question from earlier, I'm not sure where I was born. But I think you could tell me.  
> 2.) I don't understand, I was born on the sun god (Helios)but I don't know about you.  
> 3.) Rhys, that's exactly what I mean.  
> 4.) Ew, gross. Two almost thirty year olds are crying for some reason on a roof top at six in the morning.  
> 5.) Hello, she-devil. I see you finally woke up, what's the occasion? Free shots?  
> 6.) I could sense mister corrosion over here when you got close enough, even then I could barely sense anything with Angel and you being so close to one another and him.  
> 7.) I just knew you were his sister, like a seventh sense of some sort I guess. That and the residual energy that you both have is completely identical.  
> 8.) Who did this to you?  
> 9.) A Siren at order of our mother, hurts like hell when I try to use my powers.


	5. A Wingless Hawk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilith decides to properly explain her sister's true nature, by telling the tail of their father's death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liliyloo gonna tell y'all an extremely blood tail of The Watchers getting a new one torn by a ten year old

"Well that's um new Lilith. Are Siren's always born in pairs?" Lilith's mind wandered for moment, reliving Steele's memory for a second as she shook her head. Maya wasn't trying to pry but just the same as everyone in the room she was deathly curious. The lone male leaned back on the empty weapon crate, it creaked slightly at the sudden weight, and softly spoke to the highly spooked Siren. "When did she start acting like this?" A spear of pain shoot it's self through Lilith's mind as she thought of her cold hearted sister. "Thirty-five years."

~

"Come on Lilly, we're gonna be late!" Lilith's eyes slowly looked over to her overly punctual slightly older sister, her short midnight blue hair kept in a small ponytail under an old army hat that their father had given her, who was tapping her boot against the ground in an inpatient manner. The smaller crimson haired girl pushed herself up from the ground, meeting her extremely tall sister's annoyed stare. "No we're not!~ You just want an excuse to see John early!" Echo punched her sister's tattooed arm as she blushed furiously. "Shut up!" The elder stomped away to their front door, where Lilith's bag sat half deflated since she forgot to bring her school books home everyday. As the fiery young girl pulled the bag over her shoulder, Echo opened the door and shoved Lilith forward."Hey! What was that for!?" Echo stepped out beside her into the warm terrain that bloomed in front of them, a loud huff leaving her lips as she walked forward. "If you don't tell me why I'll start calling you Eden again!" The elder whipped her head around and gave her sister a hard death stare. "You call me that and I'll tell Via about your 'wishes'." Lilith tensed up and decided fuck it and ran far away from Echo before yelling back to her. "EDEN EDEN! SMALL AND UNEVEN!" 

Echo screamed in annoyance as she ran after her sister with fire in her eyes. The pair arrived at school with little breath left in their lungs as a familiar boy trotted up next to them as they entered the gate. "She try calling you E-d-e-n again? This is exactly why I'm not going to change my name, too many people could use it against me." The short boy pulled down his sleeves as one began to ride up his arm and show off the bruising underneath. Echo sighed, walking backwards next to her friend as he shyed away from her gaze. "Damnit John, I told you to fight back against that bitchy old hag. This isn't going to keep you alive long enough to carry on the Nagel legacy!" John pressed his palm to his thigh as he knew the Icy Siren was right in that regard. A sudden loud yelling made the trio stare up and into the court yard where most of the children stood. They ducked down behind one of the sitting blocks that sat far enough away from the commotion so that they wouldn't be seen. "Where are the Sirens!? Answer me you damned fool!" A man was thrown to the ground, worried breaths leaving the younger Siren at the sight of the horribly injured man. "P-papa! Echo why are they hu-" The elder Siren clamped her hand across her sisters mouth as darkness swirled in her eyes at the horrid sight in front of them.

"Over my dead body you cultist fucks!" The man who had thrown down their father cocked his head and drew out his pistol after a single moment. "Well if that's the case," the man cocked the gun, making Lilith's eyes go wide as Echo turned her into John's chest but didn't shield herself from the sight,"then so be it!" The shot rang out as she clutched onto John's shirt and let her cries be silenced by his tight grip. Lilith felt her sisters energy over flow as she vaulted over the block and into the man's line of sight. "You wanted a Siren," an ear piercing hiss came from Echo's hand as her eyes became a glossy black,"you got a fucking Siren.". John brought Lilith closer to his chest as the sounds of screams, bones cracking, and gunfire filled the air around them with no end in sight.

After what felt like hours, the sounds stopped and John let Lilith hug her knees as he went to see what happened. Blood and various body parts greeted him as his eyes searched around the chaotic seen for one of his best friends. Echo sat in ball next to her fathers body as her light sobs grew louder with each step that he took. He placed his small hand onto her blood covered shoulder which caused her to look up at him with black eyes. "Echo, what did you do?" Echo's stare broke as she lunged into John's arms as her cries became even louder. A soft groan met the pair as the man who shot her father reached out to them with an open palm that held a small orange sliver striped ring. He coughed slightly as he began to speak once John took the ring from him. "T-that power if not controlled properly will kill a Siren. I know what we did today was wrong and I'm sorry b-but if you die right now none of this would mean anything. Place this band around her left middle finger so that it may be controlled." The man cried out as Echo made his heart explode within him just by looking at him long enough. John pulled her left hand onto his chest and pushed the band around her finger. She screamed as the power recoiled back into her subconscious and was promptly knocked out as her eyes returned to normal. Lilith placed a hand onto Echo's back and leaned into the two as soft broken cries came from her mouth once again. "I'm sorry Echo, I wasn't strong enough to help. I'll do better next time. And that's a promise."

~

Lilith was leaning against the door now as tears left her eyes. "After that she was never the same, she became more aggressive and threatening towards everyone, even me. And John got it ten times worse at home so after awhile we all just ran away to Eden-3, fought in a war and went our separate ways. It's like I lost both my father and my sister that day." Maya leaned onto Rhys' shoulder as Lilith said the last of her thoughts and jumped slightly when Tanis started banging on the door. After removing both doors and locks, Lilith gave Tanis an annoyed look before she was frantically given a piece of paper with words scrawled out on it. "Oh hell." Lilith remarked as Angel lifted herself out of one of the lockers and stretched out with a yawn. "What's wrong?" 

"Jack's here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative end line from Lilith:  
> Daddy's home.  
> Jackass is back.  
> God fucking damnit.  
> (And my personal favourite)  
> Chief's home/here. (Lost Pause references hurt)
> 
> Yeah Lilith is going to call Jack 'Chief' for pure shits and giggles since Jack didn't kill Roland in this version. I'll explain it better next chapter.


	6. HEADS UP

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a mini update sorry

I don't have WiFi! I'm currently at my 2nd theatre showcase for the year so I'm just letting you guys know that when I do get my WiFi back I will write a new chapter. 

Just wanted to let you all know,  
Lynn


	7. A Past Well Forgotten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While on their way to Sanctuary, Echo and Jack reminisce to when they still had their sanity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Casual dorky banter between my bitch and Jack. I'm in the middle of class, shhhhhhhh.

"Echooooo, look at me." Jack called to his CFO as she looked out over Pandora from the shuttle. Echo secretly dreaded when Jack would randomly take her places, even dinner, she just hated moving. She listened to her swirling subconscious as it begged for her to take off her ring like she did during the war and it sickened her greatly at just the thought of it. 

Echo alone ended an almost five year war because she got tired of following orders from Hyperion and decided that what they were doing was flawed greatly. Jack waved his hand in front of Echo's mismatched eyes to bring her out of her daydreaming state. The Icy Siren patted her cheeks lightly and gave her boss a sincere look.

"Yes Jackie?" Echo's lips curled as she continued, "What's so important that you had to bring me back to this hell hole?"

Jack could tell she was faking her emotions, he should know since she taught him how to do the same after she accepted him as Hyperion's new CEO. He leaned over and bopped her nose with his own as the captain announced they would be landing soon.

"Stop it Echo, fake doesn't suit you. But you know what does?" Echo hummed in response as she twitched her lips into a small smile at her best friends antics. "There's my Echo." Jack placed a kiss on his friends forehead at the true smile that had resurfaced.

"Remember the last time we both came to Pandora like this?" Echo inquired as Jack huffed out a small laugh and stretched.

"We came here to end the war. Thanks for making the Eridian Blight by the way, that has been extremely fricking useful." Echo jabbed her friend in his back lightly with her cybernetics. The captain came back over the com and let them know they had landed safely outside of the Sanctuary Fast Travel.

"And to save Maxine's son. Come to think of it Vaughan told me that he obsessives over you, in a thirsty way. Like high key wanting the D." Jack smirked to himself at the thought of having his commanding officer's son glued to his side.

~

The dynamic duo of Hyperion walked out of the Fast Travel station and headed straight for HQ with heels clicking loudly for all to hear. Many citizens used profanity at the CEO while others used cat calls on the extremely short tempered CFO who was clawing her own hand in restraint as her subconscious yelled even more.

"Hey chief, to what do we owe the pleasure of you visiting actual hell?" Lilith sat on Tanis's desk with her head sitting on her knee. Jack inwardly cringed at the nickname that the Siren liked to use for him before he waved it off and turned to Tanis to talk about weapon development.

"Eden, you seem well. How's the working life going for you?" The slightly younger twin snipped at her sister.

"I don't know Lillian, how's your sex life?" A loud snort came from upstairs along with some slurred Spanish. Echo had always outwardly despised the people her sister called 'friends' even when they tried to kill her many times over.

"Echo!" Angel came down the stairs excitedly and hugged the elder Siren with great force, "I'm so glad to see you, why didn't Tanis tell us you were coming?"

"Jack prefers to keep my general visits a secret since I'm kind of a local legend among Padorans." It was true that psychos believed she was a goddess after many went insane alone witnessing what Echo called 'The Siren's Shadow' during the final battle of the war.

"Why is my son here?" Echo raised her voice slightly at the sight of her adoptive son, Vaughan, whom had followed Angel down stairs in a rush at the mention of the elder.

"I should ask you the same thing you snake." Rhys looked down on Echo from the top of the stairs with a pointed glare that the elder wanted to punch off the youngers face.

"It's best to hold your tongue, wouldn't want you to end up like your dad now would we." Even Jack was surprised by Echo's threatening words, he grabbed her shoulder and urged his friend not to start something that he would have to cover up.

"そのエコーそれは私の血ラインに向けられています場合は特に、実行可能な脅威ではありません." Zero had just been observing from the doorway before he finally spoke so that only Echo and Jack understood him. Echo laughed and turned to face the ex medic. 

"あなたはまだあなたがそれらをもうけ、どのようにクソ素晴らしいそれらを伝えることを拒否するので、今、私たちはあなたの舌で話しています." Tanis nearly screamed since Zero had recently begun teaching her Eridian and she was already able to figure out their conversation. 

"What the fuck Luckus?! You're alive?!" Tanis slapped her own hand over her mouth as everyone bored holes into the elders body.

"Echo," Jack began as calmly as he could, "What did you do?" Echo's eyes shifted slightly as she got closer to Zero.

"It was an accident." Zero said flatly as he brought Echo to his side since the feeling of HQ had turned horrible. 

"What was?" Lilith crossed her arms as she continued to make several mental notes on what not to trust her sister with.

"Wilhelm's coding."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH SHIT GET BENT I'M BACK BITCHES AND I'M WRITING IN CLASS.
> 
> Translations:  
> 1\. Echo that's not a valid threat, especially when it's directed at my blood line.  
> 2\. Now we're speaking in your tongue because you still refuse to tell them you fathered them, how fucking great.
> 
> The Eridian language is Japanese just so you guys know because it sounds right.
> 
> Also Happy Halloween! There's this really good Rhack fic that was put out today and I think you should go read it if you're into it, it's called 'Less is More' and it's lit. Also #NeeganForPresident


	8. Distest and Grievance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As if getting nearly killed wasn't enough for Rhys....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the last chapter was confusing, this'll clearly things up right quick.
> 
> ~
> 
> AN UPDATE??!?! HOW BIZARRE! I am EXTREMELY sorry about not updating in forever, I literally could not write anything for Bl for so long. Now, onto to some plot development!

Luckus' heels clicked quietly as he headed down the hallway to his wife's division, military division that is. This was his life, a Hyperion medic that just so happened to be half Eridian and he was currently having an Echo call with his brother Geo.

"I'm just saying Luckus, that Echo chick is bad news." The younger rolled his gray lidded blue eyes.

"It's not like I'm dating her, I'm married to Maxine and we have kids together. Why are you suddenly so interested in my boss?" The elder sighed and mumbled a goodbye.

A voice came from a room which made Luckus stop and listen.

"एक के बाद एक बात यह होगा, पिता, अभिभावक के जी उठने, और नेता की मौत के लापता होने के। छह लोगों की मृत्यु, झूठा, शहीद, गाली दी, हीरो, खलनायक, और छाया से। उनमें से मौत या तो मोक्ष या हमारे ब्रह्मांड के विनाश लाएगा। यही कारण है कि भविष्य, हीरो है, लेकिन छह फिर से वृद्धि होगी और यह एक वादा है।" The voice met his ears, Siren Dialect. A sound that sent fear into the Eridian people and soon another voice, a man, joined in words.

"मुझे बता रहा है, छाया उपयोगकर्ता के लिए धन्यवाद। मैं निकट भविष्य में मरने के लिए तत्पर हैं।" The man's voice was thick and familiar, Luckus knew the voices. John and Echo.

"あなたはここでそれについて話をしていますか？私たちの女神はちょうど思考のすべての頭を持っています。それはあなたが神であると主張しているとき、私たちの女神と同じ層であなたが罰せられるのであれば-"  
Luckus had stepped out to speak more but was shot away by a bodyguard. John shouted at the man as blood pounded in the all of their ears. Echo went next to Luckus as he continued to bleed and her eyes widened.

"It begins Father."

§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

"After that I sent him away, to protect him." Rhys was glaring at Echo, now he definitely knew that was bullshit.

"No, you did it to protect Wilhelm." His voice was sharp, it made Angel visbly tense. A flash of blue eyes and scar on his left cheek caused Echo to just flat out punch the little asshole without hesitation.

"Listen here junior,",Echo whipped her hand off, blood smearing on knuckles as Rhys stumbled back towards the stairs, "I'm still your superior in more then one sense, you will respect me.",Echo clenched her rasied, left hand as it glowed green, making Rhys fall to his knees in pain, "I'll make this very clear, I don't 'protect' or 'care' for anyone. Not even John. If you ever try to go against my actions again then well,",she smiled wickedly as she looked down at the company man, "भविष्यवाणी की तुलना में भविष्यवाणी की जा सकती है.",Echo dropped her hand and walked out of HQ to the Fast Travel station.

Jack rubbed the back of his neck, slight guilt pricking his brain at Echo's actions, and offered his other hand to Rhys which was quickly taken.

"Sorry about that she's just,",the CEO pondered his words for a moment, "a little on edge. But seriously, don't disrespect her, she's one tough son of a bitch.", Jack patted the youngers arm and turned to Angel who had gone 50 shades paler at the entire ordeal, "I'll need your help on this one sweetheart." Angel nodded her head and followed her dad out of the building to go after the inraged siren.

And ,oh, if Rhysie had only known what he got himself into....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:  
> 1) One thing after the other will happen, the disappearance of the father, the resurrection of the guardian, and the death of the leader. Than the six deaths, the Liar, the Martyr, the Abused, the Hero, the Villain, and the Shadow. The death of them will either bring the Salvation or the Destruction of our universe. That is the future, Hero, but the six will rise again and that is a promise.  
> 2)Thank you for telling me, Shadow User. I look forward to dying in the near future.  
> 3)You two dare to speak of that here? May our goddess have all our heads at just the thought. It baffles me that you are both apart of the universe's destruction when you both claim to be gods, on the same tier as our goddess you will be punis-  
> 4)The prophecy may happen soon than predicted.
> 
> ~
> 
> The next chapter will probably be mainly just Jack and Angel getting Echo to calm down, also I've got spurs that jingle jangle jingle jangle.


	9. Breath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Echo's current thoughts about a few different things since I'm unsure what to write.

Is it bad to hate him? More then likely yes, but that doesn't mean I'll stop. He's apart of this much more than he realizes and Siren or not he's a fucking idiot. What I said, I didn't mean it but I can't give him any of my weaknesses.

I need to be strong.

That's what it's always been since the prophecy came to me so many years ago. I musn't let anyone in or else I would grow sad. I pushed Lilith away to protect her but she could never understand the reasons why. 

She'd probably hate me more me more if I told her.

Even after everything I put her through she still somehow keeps it civil. Strange, since it's her and all. But I can't shake the fact that something is just wrong with the planet.

But I need to be strong.

Not just for Lilith but for Jack, and Angel. Those two broke me in a way that never seemed possible. They got past my walls and made me care for humanity again. After the war I thought that would have been impossible.

I was finally able to love again.

They made me better. They clear out the darkness and bring back the light. But I fear what the coming days may bring. I fear that when given the choice, destruction will be chosen.

I musn't let that happen.

Quinto loco voluptatis Wells dux cohortis peditum Hyperione subscribens sunt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be using Latin as the standard military speak, which can only be understood by Echo, Geo, and Lilith.
> 
> Translation:  
> Commander Eden Wells of the Fifth Infantry Regiment of Hyperion, signing off.


	10. Gentle Reminders and Drunken Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With her no longer pissed off, Echo sends Jack back into Sanctuary so he can finish his business. And if he stays a little longer why would she care?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive and slightly dead inside

If Sanctuary was any quieter, Jack would dare to call it the M.W.D.Z. A place that not even scavengers would dare go to. The CEO stretched out his limbs as he stood from the curb he had been sitting on, little to no dirt followed. 

Echo had long since returned to Helios as the pair could never travel together for long, 'less they wanted it to fall apart with no leader. Angel left a few hours prior with her Valut Hunter and the child he vaguely remembered that Echo took care of years before, but her odd siren friend asked to stay a few more days. His brain apparently still trying to understand this new rush of information without overworking it's self. 

Jack paused on his way back to Moxxi's, he felt a pair of eyes glued to him, but not in a threatening way. It felt, apologetic somehow and Jack couldn't understand why. He sighed and held his head up slightly.

"Listen, I know you're there. So you should save me the trouble and come out before I drag you out. Got it?" A light curse met his ears as a tall man slowly came into view.

"Sorry, I was just-" Jack rasied his hand at the guy, his brain failing to remember his name. Echo would be ringing him a new one if she was here, she was always good with people's faces and the names that belonged to them.

"Alright, promise me you won't tell Echo?", a confused nod came from him, "Please, for the love of god, what the hell is your name?"

"It's uh", his breath caught for a second at hearing his boss say please, "It's Rhys, Rhys Varent."

Jack clapped his hands together in triumph as he turned to Rhys, his signature smirk gracing his masked features. 

"Oh you're the one Echo was telling me about! She was talking about how you were one, 'a slight idiot who somehow hacked the 34 floor coffe machine' and two, 'highkey wants your D'. Now tell me Rhysie, was she lying?" Rhys felt his face get warm at how the elder siren remembers him, the second part probably had Vaughn written all over it. He coughed lightly and ran his hand along the back of his neck.

"T-that's me. I thought before she yelled at me she had forgotten about me. Sorry if that weirds you out since-" Jack laughed loudly as he step closer to Rhys.

"What? Since your mom was my commanding officer? Hell, I'd pay good money to see her face if you brought me home to her! That'd show her for destorying my androids, I really liked those things y'know? Come on, let's walk 'n talk.", Rhys quickly fell in time with Jack's pace as he continued to babble about how the war felt more like a burden then a good thing for the planets while walking the rest of the ways to Moxxi's.

~

"Okay so, it's 3am. There's kazzo's and vodka everywhere. I'm absolutely covered in strawberry flavored lube. And then, somehow, your dad and Lilith found the extra Truxican whiskey and now this is where it gets weird." Rhys let out a drunken laugh, the unheard cadet story finally getting to the 'weird' part.

"Wait, wait, wait. Even after stealing Echo's riding crop to use on a raging Bullymog AND taking all of Lilith's Triple X-Ecstasy so my mom and Echo wouldn't find it, THIS is where it gets weird?" Jack chuckled lightly as he continued to nurse his third beer of the night, Rhys already downing his 12th beer even after 16 shots of vodka, 13 shots of whiskey, and 8 shots of tequila. The elder had no idea how the kid was even still sitting upright, it must be a siren thing.

"No, I think that's good enough for tonight. Let's get you back to Maya's, kiddo." Rhys whined slightly, in his drunken state he was more relaxed and alot more flirty than expected. But Jack simply hooked his arm around his waist and began to take him out of the bar. 

Sanctuary was still deathly quiet, the only sound being the low hum of the machinery that kept it afloat. Jack knocked lightly on Maya's door and waited, not very long, for the blue haired siren. She opened the door and looked at them both for a minute before she yawned and stepped aside to let Jack in.

"You can leave or stay after he's laid down, I'm going back to bed. I only ask you don't have sex on my couch." Maya slumped back to her bedroom, Jack catching a glimpse of a light rose covered wall and an old Earth Era poster, one with what he could only think to be a band on it.

He laid the drunken siren on the couch and promptly turned to leave before he was tugged by the sleeve by a robotic hand.

"Stay. Please." Jack easily removed Rhys' hand from it's loose grip and placed it on his chest, kissing the back of it in the process.

"I would, but you're not sober enough to be rational right now. Goodnight pumpkin." The only other thing Jack dared to do was kiss the siren's forehead before he stood and went out the door.

Jack could feel his heart in his throat, part of him wanted to stay but he was different now. He wanted to show this young idiot that he cared about boundaries and who he was without liquor in him. Somehow, Jack knew when he got back to Helios, Echo would be waiting for him in his office like always.

But this time she would be smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't know???? Slight Rhack happened and Jack isn't taking advantage of the devil's water in order to scorce one in the bang book of memes
> 
>  
> 
> I really don't know it's 2am and I am in pain and exhausted


	11. One of Those Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel believes that something, somehow, is wrong with her Siren friend. She just can't put her finger on what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm borderline dying right now

Angel tapped her fingers on her ports in thought, a tired yawn escaping her lips as she gazed at the clock. 

1:47am. 

At this hour Gaige and the others would be getting ready for a job, Vaughn happily tagging along as he learned how to properly valut hunt with the odd ball group. She was completely alone for the first time in almost a year and the deafing silence was nearly too much to bear until her father called to ramble on about a new project that he wanted her opinion on. The only thing she wanted to change about it was the colour, she was tired of seeing her department churn out yellow and black guns that made even the most loyal employees squint their eyes in disgust. The Siren tapped her port one last time before she placed her head in her hands, fatigue quickly gracing her features.

"Something's wrong." Angel stated plainly, Jack stopped himself from continuing and quirked a brow up in intrest.

"What'd you mean sweetheart?" She shook her head as he gestured to the gun model.

"No, not the project. I just think something's wrong with Rhys." Jack leaned back in his chair, his own fatigue making itself known.

"I can agree with you on that.", the CEO stretched his arms and leaned back onto his desk, mimicking his daughter's own pose, "Something is defiantly eating at that kid."

"What did you two do after we left?" Jack laughed at the accusation but still held his mirror pose.

"We drank and talked, nothing more nothing less. You can ask Maya if you don't believe me." Angel sat up slowly and leaned back in her own chair as she pondered Echo's angry words.

"Maybe Echo knows something, you could ask her." The elder shook his head and scoffed as he resumed his earlier position.

"Echo doesn't like sharing, the most she told me when she got back was 'to be wary of the corrosive one', so that river runs dry even before the drought." The Siren thought for a moment before she pulled the project back up on screen.

"Let's just get back to discussing the project, we are not sending it out in this colour." Jack laughed a bit as he sat up to argue why blue and yellow wouldn't work together on the gun, but for once he loses the argument and signs off on his daughter's first gun design. 

And later when the gun is used for the first time, Rhys smiles at the long, swirling, barrel of the elemental gun .


	12. Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The only thing I'll say is don't read this if rough sex and dirty talk ain't your thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Evenin' folks, I'd like to explain a bit as to why I haven't been updating as much and a few other things. I've had ovarian cysts on both of my ovarys for almost the past 4 months and they have caused me nothing but pain, I was on suicide watch after my anti depressant made me have extremely horrible thoughts and I still need to be evaluated by a therapist, I'm currently in a deep episode of depression since coming off of my medication and have had no motivation to even come on AO3, and the birthcontrol I'm on is making my period almost push into 3 weeks of pad usage which my mom says is normal at first. I've absolutely hated the year of 2017 because it has refused to give me a break and have had almost no motivation to write. The previous chapter was because I had a simple idea for slight progression that would not take me forever to write and I still like the chapter because of this. It's simple, short, and not trying to satisfy everyone's wants, needs, and ships.
> 
> So I've made a decision.
> 
> This story has turned more into an AU I no longer use and do not care about the main plot that I was trying write as the idea turned into something I like alot more that is separate from this whole prophecy bullshit I've been contriving up until this point. So that means I'll need to do something to make Echo either leave, kill her off completely, or she stays and simply decideds that the prophecy was wrong from the beginning and that everything is okay. 
> 
> This chapter will just be a bit of Jack's thoughts on Rhys which might get a little nsfw if I get really into it. So please let me know what you think I should do with Echo and enjoy the chapter.

A plastic clicking echos through the room, the sound barely registered by the creator until he presses to hard and the pen breaks. At first he just sits there, letting the bright red ink dry on his hand, until he realizes this is the fifth one he's broken since he got back and that he is on his last red pen. The unmasked man doesn't know why he keeps breaking them, maybe it's nerves or his body not being used to being back on Helios yet, either way it is starting to annoy him at this point since he can't figure out the why. 

He quickly stands and walks towards the small kitchen that's tucked away in the corner for when he has to pull all nighters or wants his CFO to join him for a late dinner in. The sink is completely empty and the soap bottle completely full, so he slowly pumps a handful of soap into his ink covered hand and turns on the hot water without a second thought. He's stuck washing his hands for a solid five minutes before he finally feels the too hot water splash against his tattooed wrist and is suddenly asking himself what the hell is wrong with him.

After the water is turned off, he rests his hands on the side of the sink and looks at his reflection in the soapy water. He looked beyond tired and much older then he would ever admit to being. The CEO rubs his eyes with a yawn and leaves his hands there for a bit.

"Come on Jack, get ahold of yourself. You're a CEO and a dad for christs sake." He says this all to his hands and almost hates that he's giving himself a pep talk. His mind wanders for a moment before it settles on the siren he had drinks with, Rhys. 

For a moment he wonders if the guy even likes him as him, all power, money, and lust aside. To often would he meet someone he actually liked, someone he'd open up to, only to find out they want his money, a story, or just blackmail. Everytime this happened it would make it's way to either his daughter or his siren friend and the person would be found dead within a week. He remembered how different Nisha was and how betrayed he felt when she tried to sell Angel to a cult that believed her blood could grant eternal life. Lilith saw to her death quickly enough by pointing her valut hunters in her direction within two day's of finding out. The firehawk said that it was the least she could do after he asked an old bodydouble and bounty hunter friend to kill the man that had ended Roland's life.

"He's just a kid,", Jack's brain halts for a second as he remembers how much they shared over drinks and how open he'd been with him, "A kid that I'm absolutely enamored with.", he slams his fists down harshly on the counter and yells out for a few seconds as tears spil down his scarred cheeks. He halts all at once and crumples onto the floor, feeling defeated and exposed.

He stares up at the ceiling, his brain suddenly choosing to rember how Rhys looked when he asked him to stay. Haired messed up and teetering on the verge of being both drunk and sleepy. His thoughts quickly shift to how lanky the man is and how that proportion to the rest of his body. Face red in the complete darkness he trys to will the thought away but his mind continues to draw up it's own theory and he hates how much he loves it. 

While he'd never admit it to anyone, Mr. CEO loves to be told what to do, how to do it, and where to do it. Echo's the only one who truly knows that Jack is all talk and no action, hell she had to pay off Moxxi just to keep his reputation of being top dog in check. At this point, he's hating that he's a mega sub who wants nothing more than to be told to not touch himself unless he wants a punishment.

"Do you have any shame darling?" Echo's voice is calculated and sharp and it makes Jack sit stark up right and want to cry. Jack knows this game, she can't feel any type of romantic or sexual feeling so if she finds him in a sitchiation like this she calmly talks him though it.

"No ma'am." She's by his side in a second and slips a bluetooth receiver into his ears, his blood instantly running cold when he hears who Echo is talking to on the other end. She clicks hers, presses her finger to her lips, and begins talking.

"As I was saying there's no need to be embarrassed by having fantasies Rhys. Now could you start from the beginning again? I lost track of what you were saying and rember to act like you're talking directly to him." Rhys laughs a bit from the other end but clears his throat so that he can do as he was asked.

Echo's heels click quietly out of the kitchen as Rhys begins his thoughts again.

"God where to start? I just want to pin hi- you down and bury myself to the hilt. Is that weird? To just want to be completely inside of you, so I can fuck you deep and slow just so I can watch you beg for me to touch you. To be truthful,", Rhys lowly laughs and Jack can't wait for the next words as he's already stiff and hot, "I wouldn't even tease you. I'd just be deep inside of you and I'd cover your filthy mouth with my other hand just so you couldn't beg because otherwise I'd have to punish you and I really don't want to do that.", his voiced is laced with delicate sarcasm and that almost makes the flustered CEO cry out at the thought of it, "'Course if you licked my hand and made a mess of it, I'd have to move lower and squeeze hard until you're choking for air. And we wouldn't want that now would we?", small hands are already laced around his throat as Echo began to fuel the stimulation that her boss oh so wanted.

"And then what Rhys?" Her voice is low and dangerous as Rhys continues his fantasy. One of Echo's hands move behind her to retrieve the things she had brought back with her and all Jack can do is let her prep him for what comes next.

"Well, now you're handcuff and underneath me,", sure enough Echo clicks handcuffs onto him, rips his pants away and brings him closer to her body, "I'd make sure that you stay quiet after your punishment by just going back in raw and fast.", a hard cry is caught in her hand as she forces a large dildo in quickly and follows the script she is being fed. It's quite for a moment as Jack crys into her hand with each thrust of the toy as Rhys seems to be caught up in his thoughts as he quickly begins spouting off several words that are to fast or foreign to recognize. The line falls silent after this, the toy still being rushed in and out of the CEO, Echo seeming to already know what to do.

"After I've finished and you haven't, you know what'd I'd do?", the fake gentil is removed and Echo steps back from him, "I'd leave you there in the handcuffs and go back to work.", Echo hums softly as she sets the toy in it's bag and stands to slip back into her heels. A soft whine meets her ear as she walks out the kitchen and into the main room.

"You have quite the imagination Rhys.", she receives a laugh in response, "I'm glad Jack was able to enjoy it too.", without another word Echo clicks end call and removes the ear piece. Her mind quickly shifts back to her normal manner around her boss, she's back in the kitchen removing the ear pieces and the handcuffs from a passed out Jack. He's pulled over her shoulder as she sets her sights on the fold out bed in main office, gently places him done upon it, and covers him.

"When you wake up there's going to be fresh warm pasta on the stove and you'll either be happy with me or mad with me.", Echo pulls away and steps towards the kitchen.

"But don't blame me for breaking the tension."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH BOI PROGRESS!
> 
> I'm proud of this oddly enough and I still want y'alls opinion on what to do with Echo.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ao3 Fan Fiction so constructive criticism is welcome. You can find me at http://captainanimenerd4ever.tumblr.com 
> 
> Thanks for reading.


End file.
